The Business of Belonging: How to Make Community your Competitive Advantage

Distributing control on the local level means you're putting control in the hands of the people who are closest to the problem you're trying to solve for.

You can use these four factors to better understand the strength of community that a group has. All groups of people have the potential to be a strong community. But without clearly defined membership, an exchange of influence, fulfillment of needs, and a shared emotional connection, it's fair to assume that the strength of community amongst a grou

Emotional safety. By building boundaries and including the right people, you create trust and a feeling of safety.

Owning a topic in people's minds is quite simple (but not easy): you need to successfully solve their problem for them enough times that your community becomes the most efficient and trusted place they know of to get an answer, and they form a new habit. They need to feel confident that if they ask a question in your online community, they will get

David McMillan and David Chavis in 1986.3 The authors describe a sense of community as “a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members' needs will be met through their commitment to be together.” According to the theory, there are four factors that contribute

A common symbol system. Sharing a symbol like a sports team jersey or a brand logo creates a sense of community.

Ultimately, what makes a business successful is the same thing that makes a community successful: Owning a topic in people's minds.

It reinforces the idea that your community, like any other product, needs to solve a problem for its members in order to make it worth their time and contribution.

Shared Emotional Connection All healthy communities have a story. Members will have a history of experiences together and the belief that there will be more experiences together in the future.